Monday, 9 June 2008

I Could Be Dreaming: Deciding Where To Stay At Indietracks

Still trying to decide where to stay for Indietracks? Torn between casting caution (and your hair straighteners) to the wind at the campsite, or living it up in the (comparative) glamour of a Travelodge? Wondering whether you’d prefer the cosy home comforts of a Bed and Breakfast or…..in fact…...home? Well, worry thee no more, for you’ve come to the right place my friend! A quick squiz at our shambolic Cosmo-style mini-questionnaire and you’ll soon be taking care of all those niggling accommodation woes….just remember to be honest! Good luck!

1. The one thing that makes a festival perfect for you is:

a) Being able to fix your make-up and/or hair under PROPER LIGHTS every dayb) A late night Hefner sing-along with ukeleles, guitars and tins of tomatoes for drums

c) Meeting all the local characters who live near to the festival site and listening to them reminisce about when "it were all fields round here", even though it still is

d) Getting away from it all at the end of the day, in time for late-night Big Brother

a) Fumble for that cab number in your bag, you know you had it somewhere? You really want to crash in someone's tent but can't bear the thought of kinky hair in the morning

b) Magically produce an X Files-style torchlight from your rucksack and start looking for that trail of stones you left somewhere, as well as the stash of booze you hid in a bush for late-night sing-alongs

c) Stumble towards the exit with a map in one hand, and mobile phone in another, trying to sober up so you don’t make too much noise when you get in

d) Phone home and leave a tipsy message on the answerphone for someone to come and get you

6. You decide to fix yourself a snack. Do you:

a) Reach for the free shortbread biscuits next to the complimentary tea and tiny kettle

b) Place a can of beans over a cigarette lighter and wait for half an hour

c) Run downstairs and ask nicely if they can rustle up some cheese on toast

7. When you wake up in the morning, you write down all your dreams. Were you:

a) Wandering down an endless nondescript corridor knocking on infinite identical doors looking for a party that sounds close by, but never gets any nearer

b) Running free in the wildness under the stars to the soundtrack of owl twoots and soft metal acoustica

c) Transported back to the 1950s drinking multiple cups of tea and eating Digestive biscuits as a Gramaphone plays Cliff Richard tunes

d) Back at school, watching that time when you tripped and fell during the school play over and over again.

8. You feel the need for some entertainment. Do you:

a) Stick on the cable TV and feel guilty watching Hollyoaks, before considering paying for wi-fi

b) Fashion a rudimentary ukulele from some branches and stray twine and lead a Jonathan Richman singalong

c) Challenge a fellow guest to a game of chess or draughts

d) Browse through your entire CD and DVD collection or pick a book from your bookshelf

9. The Indietracks genie appears and grants you a wish. Do you wish:

a) That the party next door will stop playing “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken” on repeat and go to bed

b) That the stray cow that’s appeared two feet from where you’re sleeping will get distracted and leave

c) That the random guest you’re chatting to will stop trying to get you to explain what an indiepop festival is. “It’s a kinda like The Beatles, okay?”

d) That you were coming back for the next day of the festival and joining the overnight fun!

10. You meet someone special at the festival. What are you most worried about when they get back to your accommodation?

a) That the romance will fade when they find an aspiring Scandinavian indiepop band sleeping on the pull-out sofa

b) That the appeal of sitting out under the stars will drop sharply if it starts to rain

c) That there was actually a curfew, and the landlady is up waiting for you with a stern look on her face

d) That they don’t stumble across the framed photos from your Britpop phase, when you tried to look like Jonny from MenswearWondering how you got on? In true Cosmo style it should be fairly flippin’ obvious but, if you need your scores, here they are.

Mostly As: Yup, you’re a Travelodger alright. You know the campsite has showers, but it’s just not the same, right? You need to be able to sit down properly to fix your hair and, anyway, you quite fancy late night drinking shenanigans in a family room with no wet grass to bother you. Rooms in Nottingham, Derby and Alfreton are getting booked up quickly, so visit the Travelodge website soon! http://www.travelodge.co.uk/

Mostly Bs: Hello campers! For you, festivals just aren’t the same unless you’ve got a tin o’ beans on the go, and a campsite sing-along to look forward to. Are you Pete Green? You might want to check out the wonderful Golden Valley Caravan Park campsite.

Mostly Cs: You consider yourself a discerning festival-goer, fancying the unique, ramshackle charm of a nearby Bed and Breakfast. You like nothing more than meeting the locals and sampling real ale in nearby pubs, and so Moss Cottage in Ripley might be ideal for you.

Mostly Ds: ‘Cos you’re a daaaaaay-tripper, etc etc. You’ve got a day ticket and you’re not afraid to use it. You’re there for a while, but you’re looking forward to curling up in your own bed while everyone else is remembering that vital bit of kit they left at home. Erm, there’s not really a website I can point you to, but it's probably wise to check the festival site location on the Indietracks website before you sort out travel arrangements.

If you still can't make up your mind, don't forget to check out the accommodation page of the Indietracks website for more details...see you there!

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Indietracks is an annual indiepop festival that takes place at a 1950s steam railway in Derbyshire, UK every July.

The festival has been running since 2007. Bands playing in previous years have included Camera Obscura, Edwyn Collins, Teenage Fanclub, Veronica Falls, The Wedding Present, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Pastels, Allo Darlin', White Town, The Hidden Cameras, Art Brut, Still Corners, The Vaselines, Summer Camp, Emmy The Great, The Primitives, Bis, Slow Club, Jeffrey Lewis, Helen Love, Au Revoir Simone and hundreds more artists from across the globe.